My wife Diane and I just returned from a 7day cruise on the Carnival Destiny sailing out of San Juan Puerto Rico. We are in the 65+ group, and have sailed over 25 times since 1982. We live in the Sacramento CA. area and for this cruise we took an air deviation to fly on American Air Line as we wished to complete our frequent flier mileage with them before we lost previous mileage. Diane had finally convinced her sister Jeanne and husband Don to take a cruise for the first time. Their previous experience had been a service transfer to Guam in the 50s. Not quite like cruising today. The criteria for choosing this ship was it was fairly new quite large and was going to three islands we haven't been to before. Don and Jeanne were willing to follow Diane's lead in the choice. We all booked an over night in San Juan at the Condado Plaza through Carnival just incase there were weather delays. In addition we thought we would have time to show D&J around the sights of old San Juan before boarding the ship as this was their first visit and our fifth or sixth. After an uneventful flight we arrived at the Hotel around 9PM to meet D&J who had arrived from Phoenix earlier.

	Article continues below

They were hungry and had waited for us to eat, we were fed on the plane but that had been like a late lunch to our stomachs, which were still on Pacific Time, that darn jet lag thing. All the hotel restaurants were over priced as usual. We finally ate at Tony Roma's and went to bed. In the Morning we walked about two blocks along the sea front to a small cafe that had a good breakfast for about 1/3 the price, of the Condado for exactly the same thing. With my frugal side satisfied we took a taxi to old San Juan, for $10 flat rate, and got out at the walk to El Moro only to find a sign nailed to the shut and locked door stating that due to illegal acts and Hoodlumism, their words not mine, El Moro and San Cristabole forts were closed. Very disappointed we walked down to old San Juan's shopping district and went to by the church which was in use for a mass so we didn't do more than look in as we passed on our way to the little chapel by the park of the pigeons. The chapel was locked up tight and you could not see the alter at all. Old San Juan was a bust for us since none of us wanted to shop, but we did drop in on the RCCL Crown & Anchor rest stop to check it out and found it to be cool, clean, and comfortable also it has a carry on luggage check for those arriving prior to boarding time or who want to shop while waiting to catch a late flight.

We took a taxi back to the Hotel and got our carry on luggage and since the bus to take us to the ship was not due till 2PM and it was about 12:30 we decided to take a cab to the dock. Our timing could not have been worse. A light sprinkle suddenly turned turned into a downpour as we arrived at the pier. There was only one entrance into the warehouse, which acts as a terminal at the pier used by the Destiny. We arrived just as the street was filling with water and could see no alternative to wadding through the ankle deep water to the entrance. The ladies got out and ran for cover at the entrance while Don and I retrieved the carry ons from the taxi in the now increasing torrent of rain. Porters trying to stay dry filled any shelter under the eaves that might have been available. The entrance sloped down then up as if a loading dock had been partially filled in for use as a walkway. Soaking wet and with the rain increasing we had no choice but to head down the ramp where a pool of water was building up as the drain became overwhelmed. Wadding through about 18 inches of water we made into the warehouse only to find that a large crowd was gathering in front of the metal detectors, which were not operating since the electric cables were in water where it had collected on the floor in large pools in any low spot. Before the metal detectors were back in action some one had finally opened the other door into the warehouse and people were streaming in and pushing around the mob at detectors. At last they got the cables up and out of the water and the line or herd begin to move through them only to hit another snag with the photographers who had set up a barrier to force that well-known boarding picture opportunity. Soaking wet with shoes squishing and hair hanging in our eyes we were in no mood to smile for the birdie. After getting around the photo back drop we exited the warehouse onto a now sunny pier and up the gangway to enter the ship on deck 0 where we are told to climb the stairs to deck 3 since the elevators would not come to deck 0 and were probably being used for luggage any way. Still soaking, but now freezing in the air conditioning, we enter the Palladium show room to wait in line to have our tickets checked and sign are charge cards and receive our all-in-one door key, boarding pass and sailing charge card. Free at last we squished along to our cabins and dumped off the carry ons. When I discover that my Hearing aid and Video camera are kaput from the rain. This had to be our worst embarkation of all time. True it was caused by a cloudburst, also since there is no air conditioning in the warehouse Carnival dose the paper work aboard for passenger comfort. However the ship was never meant to handle the large crowds entering a crew gangway. A lot of work needs to be done on the terminal if the Destiny is going to dock here. This is really stopgap, as it is now water collects in the low spots when they get a cloudburst, which is not all that unusual in Porto Rico.

Our luggage when it was off loaded and set out for the dogs to sniff at the end of the cruise was put in the purple Upper Aft area. When we left the ship I got a porter and pointed out our luggage that he loaded on a dolly and took to the American airline truck. I never picked up the bags so I did not feel their weight also we turned in our tickets in Dallas for cash vouchers and arrived in Sacramento a day later. Here the bags were retrieved from storage by a porter and taken to a Super Shuttle where they were loaded by the driver. The first time I was aware some thing was wrong was when I wheeled the first bag into the house, it weighed a ton; opening it I found every last stitch of clothing was soaked. We are still trying to find out what happened and who will fix the damage. If any one else on the Destiny for the 10/1 to 10/9 sailing had their luggage in the purple section soaked let me know by E-mail at dijimfan2@pdqnet.com

So much for my tale of woes. On to the review of the trip.

We had a inside cabin 6245 with D&J just a few cabins down the hall in 6257 both being large by comparison to other cruise lines we've sailed. D&J at first thought theirs was small but after storing all their things were amazed at how efficient the lay out was. We found the showers to be the biggest yet although it still has a curtain, I like the new door design on the Voyagers shower even though it's smaller. Diane had one real complaint. She's a light sleeper and the cabin was over the casino and she could hear the machines making their slot noises also some nights a band played in the Destiny Way. The bass drum pounding drove her nuts while I could barley hear the noise. Remember my hearing aid was shot from the rain and without it I don't hear a lot sounds. Monday morning she asked to be moved and was told the ship was full so we prepared to live with the situation. When we booked the trip we selected cabin1195 but D&J were sold an upgrade so we took one also to be near them. We have never had much luck with upgrades on the Carnival ships the worst was a 13 day entrapment under the galley next to the freight elevator on the Jubilee from Miami to L.A., but that's another story.

Our dining request had been for a large table for 8 to 10 so D&J could meet other people and gets the full experience of cruising. The table we were assigned was a booth for four stuck off to the side with a pole obstructing one side. We went to the Maitre de and requested a change, which we got, to a table for 8. Unfortunately only one other couple showed up once during the week and they were newly weds who I'm sure were not happy sitting at a table with an average age of 70. The food selection was only fair during the week but the presentation was very good. Both D&J were not thrilled with the beef choices as they are not into sauces they preferred the meat in the Sun and Sea alternate dining the one night we tried it because they could leave the sauce off. I preferred the main dining room. We all enjoyed Sun &Sea and grill for breakfast and lunch as we don't mind cafeteria buffet style if the selection is good. The lines were not a problem if your timing was right.

MONDAY - St. Thomas:
We hired a van for $70 and he took us all around the island and gave us a lot of information as we went. The trip was a lot cheaper than the ship excursion and we were not crowded in the van. Best of all since the wives didn't want to shop there was no standing around waiting for others and I enjoyed that. The tour over it was back on the ship to relax and dress for the Captains Cocktail party. Diane loves the formal nights and it's one of the few times I ware a Suit and tie. I have a large neck and short armes; 20- inch neck shirts come with 36-inch arms and enough extra cloth to dress a small child. I have them altered to fit when I get them. Just before the trip I had some more work done to make them fit better. Some how I hung them in the wrong place in the closet and they were not packed. I faked it with a casual shirt and a tie almost covering the open collar but was unconfterable at the party and diner. We skipped the other formal night much to Diane disappointment. I promise this will never happen again.

TUESDAY - St. Lucia:
We again hired a van on our own, this time for $80 The drive took us to the high points at both ends of the island and all around the neighborhoods in-between. It was a very good deal. The Driver " Goose " gave us a very interesting tour. We saw vans with ships tours loaded to the gills stopped at several places. Were we glad to have a van all to our selves even though we had to use island air conditioning "open window" it worked out fine.

WEDNESDAY - At sea:
A day of sun no wind to speak of just relaxing. The second formal and since Jeanne was not feeling well and wanted to skip diner the rest of us went to the casual Sun and Sea to eat I was under whelmed by the choices and food but didn't go hungry, I never do. Don really liked it better than the main dinning room.

THURSDAY - Curacao:
We took a cab down town for $10 flat rate and looked around the stores for some perfume Jeanne wanted that she couldn't get in Phoenix. After Jeanne found what she wanted and both she and Diane were through shopping we found a driver willing to take us sightseeing at $80 for two hours. Our first stop was at a fort turned restaurant where Jeanne began to feel ill from the heat and walking in town. D& J decided to go back to the ship while Diane and I went on with the tour. The driver agreed to back track to the ship and to drop them off for the agreed on price. Don tipped him an extra $10 and insisted on paying their $40. We then went on a nice trip all around the island and stopped at the beach just to take a picture in the water. Back on the ship we dressed for the repeaters party. The Carnival Capers "daily bulletin" said it was a casual night but on all our other cruises the repeater party is held on a formal night or semi formal night. Since I had no dress shirts I wore slacks and a silk Mexican shirt. Diane dressed up in a formal outfit and felt overdressed as people came in all kinds of outfits. I would call it McDonalds formal.

FRIDAY - Aruba:
Hired a van for $35 an hour and took a 2 hour drive to most of the points of interest as we decided we didn't need a hour more to go to baby beach since none of us were going in the water. $70 was less than the ship with no standing around waiting for shoppers. Nice trip but Aruba is a dry place with not much to see. On all the islands hiring a van was cost effective and much cheaper per person if 4 to 6 people share and more comfortable than going with the ship.

SATURDAY- At Sea:
A nice day at sea with good weather. The food and show were good, bags packed and tips paid were ready for the long trip home.

SUNDAY - Disembarkation:
Up at six to eat in the main dinning room where the service is not as good as before the tips, but that's to be expected. Then wait in the Palladium show room for our color tags to be called and we finally leave the ship at 10 AM.

Over all we enjoyed our trip except for the soaking at embarkation and the noise at night. Our impression of the ship was different than D&J's. This was their first modern cruise ship and they were impressed by its size and beauty and didn't find fault by comparison to other ships. Diane and I have been on other Carnival ships and on other lines. We are not really fond of the heavy use of neon and plastic to decorate and the overall copper tone to many of the public areas. When the ship is in port and fairly empty it has the sad feel of a Vegas casino at 5am when it's dead. The flagship bar in the day is just dreary with the dark mirrors and neon. A really sad touch is that only one of the four glass elevators worked the whole week giving the Centrum a frozen look as the other three elevator just sat unmoving at various decks. The Destiny had just been in dry dock before this voyage so I could not believe they hadn't fixed these elevators, which are critical to the look of the Centrum especially at night when it's active and to say nothing of the inconvenience of waiting for an elevator that never comes. We far prefer the design of the Royal Caribbean ships. which is more soothing and elegant than the glitzy and busy feel of Carnival. That's just our opinion and should be taken that way. My next review will be of the Legend of the Seas cruise to St Petersburg next Aug.